New York Giants

Which Giants rookie will have the biggest impact in '08??

Still a couple of weeks away from training camp for the Champion Giants, but we are getting there. I had a conversation the other day with a buddy and an interesting (at least to me) topic came up; which New York Giants rookie will have the greatest impact in 2008?

Giants GM Jerry Reese may have set the bar too high for himself with his amazing draft class of 2007, which might be difficult to duplicate. Giants fans will never forget the contributions during that magical Super Bowl run we got from Aaron Ross, Kevin Boss, Steve Smith, Ahmed Bradshaw, Jay Alford and company. It is fair to say the Giants would never have won it all without them.

So which Giants rookie will be a major factor in 2008? Lets start with first round pick Kenny Phillips. The safety out of Miami will probably have the best chance of starting right out of the gate since the Giants are not very deep at the position. He has the size ( 6'1" 215lbs), speed and aggressive style of play the team wants out of the safety position. He also brings an athletisism the Giants have lacked back there. He can come up to support the run effectively, but he is also a playmaker. With the pass rush the Giants are going to bring there will be opportunities for athletes like Phillips tp make things happen as quarterbacks will have a tendency against the pressure to chuck the ball and hope for the best.

Second rounder Terrill Thomas, corner back out of USC, I seriously doubt will start, barring injury. The Giants are actually pretty deep at the position with Aaron Ross and the resurgent Corey Webster backed up by vets like Sam Madison and RW McQuarters. I think Thomas will compete for a spot in the nickel package and play special teams. He is not likely to have a major impact in 2008, but should be a fine player for the Giants for years to come.

Third round receiver Mario Manningham could be big. If he stays out of trouble he has all the ability in the world. The Giants, despite winning the Super Bowl, finished only 16th in total offense last season. They need to improve on that. While they are very deep at receiver, the only true "playmaker" on the roster last season (as a receiver)was Plaxico Burress. Manningham can really cause match up problems for opposing defenses with his ability. Line him up opposite Plax with guys like Toomer and Shockey (hopefully) over the middle and the O could be lethal. Manningham could be a huge contributer.

The balance of the Giants 2008 draft class are more likely to contribute on special teams as well as provide quality depth at their respective positions.

My guess is Phillips and Manningham will have big seasons for big blue as the Giants defend their title.      

New York Giants news and notes...

Well Giants fans, not much happenning as we wait for the start of training camp....just a few tidbits to help get you through....

Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora is currently in Iraq visiting the troops. Good for you Osi, be careful.

Plaxico Burress remains optimistic that a new deal will get done prior to training camp, and he will be attending. Burress said negotiations between the Giants and Drew Rosenhaus are progressing.

The Giants have been nominated for 6 "espy's" for their upcoming awards show; best upset (Giants- patriots), best coach (Coughlin), best team, best player (Eli Manning) best game (Super Bowl 42) and best play....see if you could guess what that might be.

Only about two weeks left till Giants training camp.

How long until Game One!

As I write this post it is 4th of July and I am getting ready for some Beers and BBQ like most Americans. But I really wish it was more like September 4th and I was getting ready for the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants (I just really love working that in) to start their title defense by slapping around the Washington Foreskins....(sorry, I mean Redskins).

I can't remember an off season moving sooooo slow. It seems like it is taking forever. Part of the reason of course is the fact that the Giants are defending Champs and we are all anxious for them to get back to it. I think also, part of it is the fact that the Giants are getting so little respect nationally.

The Giants aren't even in most discussions I hear about who will be the Super Bowl Champion next season! This drives me nuts and I am sure most Giants fans feel the same way. It makes you want the season to start so bad you can taste it. It makes you anxious for the Giants to go out there and once again prove themselves to all the doubters.

I hope the Giants players are all as anxious as we are.

Giants fans off season woes...

I probably wouldn't even write this post if there were any actual New York Giants news out there...there isn't. But as a long time Giants fan who is still basking in the glow of the greatest season in franchise history (in my humble opinion), my biggest gripe is the number of "haters", (which I guess is a new term), out there.

I live in Central New Jersey. Interesting area for many reasons, but as a football fan, this area seems pretty  divided between Giants, Jets, Eagles, and to a lesser degree, Cowboys and other misguided fans.

That is fine, it made it very enjoyable to wear my NY Giants Super Bowl Champion gear out around town to piss off other fans. Which it did!

However, it also evoked a lot of comments along the lines of "luckiest team ever", "Cinderella story", etc.

The thing that struck me was the fact that these people actually believe the Giants were just lucky to win it all! It is as if it was only through some sort of divine intervention that the Giants went on the road to beat the Bucs, Dallas Cowboys (keep crying, T.O.), Green Bay Packers and unbeaten Patriots!

Do these people believe God had money on the Giants??

It is ignorant. The NFL is far too competitive for a lesser team to get lucky that many times. Fact is, the Giants deserved  to win every post season game,and the third Super Bowl  Title in the proud history of the franchise.

New York Giants mini camp notes

Sadly, the biggest news to come out of yesterdays mini camp session for the New York Giants is the fact that Jeremy Shockey is a jack ass.

I have always been a fan of his, always supported him. No more. He is proving himself to be a self absorbed, whining troublemaker.

Yesterday it was reported that the Giants chief prima donna had a heated argument with GM Jerry Reese. Neither side would comment and while it is not known what the cause was, Jeremy is wrong. You do not get into shouting matches with your boss in front of the other employees. Shockey also refused an order from Coach Tom Coughlin to report to the practice field along with his teammates.

His slime bag of an agent Drew Rosenhaus had this to say; "I don't specifically have a way to address that at this time because Jeremy's been very adamant about avoiding any public discussion about the situation," Rosenhaus said. "The best thing I can say about Jeremy's situation is that we are talking to the team about some of the issues that exist and we hope to get that resolved." What issues??? Have the Giants ever missed a paycheck? Exactly what are the issues? That the team had the audacity to win the Super Bowl after your punk client got injured?

I hate to say it, but the Giants should have traded this cry baby when they had the chance. I was happy at the time they didn't because I thought the team was better off with him. I didn't realize he was going to turn into Chad Johnson right before our eyes.

Day two of Giants mini camp....

The New York Giants wrapped up Day two of their mini camp today. I decided, just to give everybody a break, I won't even mention Jeremy Shockey or Plaxico Burress....so I won't.

Anyhow, a few notes;

• Tight end Darcy Johnson was impressive today catching several passes and showing some ability to  break away from coverage
• Shockey ( I know I said I wouldn't mention him.....but) he is apparently working well in terms of mentoring the younger guys
• the Giants are carrying 5 QB's...it will be 4 when real camp opens, bad news for somebody....
• the Giants have ten players not practicing due to either injury or Drew Rosenhaus
• Tom Coughlin seemed happy with the special teams play thus far..not so happy when questioned about the two players I said I would not mention   

All in all it was a quiet day for the  Giants , all things considered. Mini camp wraps up tomorrow  with just one, not two sessions. Lets hope there  is no big news....since lately big news has been bad for the Giants ( I mean of course since the Super Bowl). 

New York Giants mini camp notes

The Super Bowl Champion New York Giants wrapped up Day one of their mandatory mini camp today. Since it is the Giants, and New York, and they are defending Champs, there will always be news. There was.

First, Jeremy Shockey did attend....good news. He didn't practice however due to his leg not being fully recovered, fine. But Jeremy didn't speak with the media, or, much more importantly, stay on the field with his Giants teammates, choosing instead to stay inside the complex. There could be more to it that we don't know, and I give him the benefit of the doubt. In reality though it seems he may be determined to make himself  as  much of a pain in the ass as possible in order to force a trade. We will see, but, as I have stated often, I hope not. The Giants are better off with Jeremy Shockey, provided he has the proper attitude.

In other negative signs, Receiver Plaxico Burress sat out today's activities since he is upset with his contract. Usually I don't like it when players don't plan to honor their contracts, but in Plax's case, he really is underpaid. Lets hope it gets resolved quickly. 

Other then that, pretty boring. Giants Coach Tom Coughlin continues with his forward looking posture; “I think there are areas that obviously we have to improve upon and that is what we are out here working on,” Coughlin said. “You saw us in the red and the green (areas). I think that obviously, defensively, we want to improve in that area and also we want to put more points on the board offensively. I think that is one of the real challenges. We are always a team that is going to talk about taking care of the football, not turning the ball over. And in terms of our special teams area, our kickoff coverage team, our punt return team, we are working on that right away. You saw us right here in the first session in this OTA. So there are a lot of things for us to get better at. And I think our players have responded well to that.”

All in all, for a defending Champ playing in the media center that is New York, it is pretty quiet.

New York Giants OTA report

The New York Giants...I am sorry, Super Bowl Champion New York Giants, wrapped up the third of six OTA's yesterday.

Amani Toomer looked like he was in his prime flying around the field and making several outstanding catches. Toomer didn't participate in OTA's last season as he was in rehab.

No surprise, Jeremy Shockey didn't participate. I love Shockey, but he is really starting to get on my nerves.

Mathias Kiwanuka fully participated and his leg felt fine....great sign for the Giants.

Check back later for any updates as well as our player profiles. Next up will be the Giants second round pick, terrill Thomas.

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Giants commence OTA'a

The New York Giants, fresh off their Championship ring ceremony the night before, had their first Organized Team Activity yesterday. Most Giants attended, notable exceptions of course being Michael Strahan and Jeremy Shockey.

Coach Coughlin was thrilled to be back; “That, for me, is what it is all about,” Coughlin said after the workout, “having the players on the field with the coaches, working on the game that everybody loves and again keeping your eye on the prize.”

The Giants will do it again on Monday.

Back to Shockey, he is looking more and more like a player planning to hold out. I hope I am wrong, but the signs are three; missing all team functions, not returning phone calls, etc. Jeremy better wake up and realize he has absolutely zero leverage. If he sits out, he misses paychecks and incurs fines. The Giants on the other hand have Kevin Boss as a substitute who proved himself to be effective last season.It is clearly in Shockey's interest to get his *** back to camp, work hard and prove to the Giants that he is one of the  games premier tight ends. His alternative is to prove himself a prima dona.

Choose wisely Jeremy, it is a good time to be a New York Giant!

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Manningham injured in practice

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New York Giants third round draft choice Mario Manningham suffered a soft tissue injury today in  practice.

Maningham was running a  "stop and  go" pattern when the injury occurred. While it is not thought to be serious, any missed practice time for a rookie is not good.

The coaching staff, injuries aside, seems  pleased  with  the  progress  of  the  rookie  class  so far.